Rules for Big Banks Likely to Spread to Others

WASHINGTON — Though the Dodd-Frank regulatory reform law designed separate rules for large and small institutions, covering everything from capital to stress tests to consumer protection, a consensus is growing that the higher standards for bigger institutions will eventually apply to everyone else.

"Two-tiered regulation by its nature falls apart because the regulators develop a familiar way of doing things, particularly for big banks, and they hold it up to the small banks," said Kip Weissman, a partner at Luse Gorman. "There's no question about it."